Decided to give my F355 Berlinetta some TLC.....

Hi, I finished the detailing and fitting of all the aluminium pedals from Hill Engineering.

Also polished up the chrome side plate and refitted.

The plastic surround for the throttle pedal was refinished in the Plastic texture paint mentioned in the earlier thread.

Please note: it is essential to secure the large passenger footplate with at least a few heavy duty screws, this plate flying around the car in the event of an accident would be the equivalent of getting a hair cut from a lawn mower!!!

I used two of the supplied screws, drilled into the fuse cover plate, placed at the top of the board - very secure! Then applied a few small circles of velcro near the bottom to dampen and rattles.

cheers Mark
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Hi,

I removed the old seats today and before fitting the newly refurbished ones, I cleaned all the hidden areas of the carpet, finally it feels like i am making some real progress!

Also refitted the centre console switch gear after it was refurbished by Robbie at SNM.
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I then refitted the passenger seat, then fitted the new mats supplied by morethanpolish.

Refitted the handbrake cover, and replaced the boot release cable.

Then the drivers seat and mat.

The centre console had a small hole drilled in it, probably for some yuppies phone back in the day! I had a small shield, which i painted plastic coat black, attached to the leather of the console, then drilled a small hole to attach the Cavillino Rampart, looks good for the time being, i will recover that section of the console at some point in the future.

Its starting to feel like a car again!!!!!!!!

cheers
Mark
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Glad you think its easy, its dedicated work to get this level of finish, very time consuming and there are always problems along the way!

where's your thread on your 355 so we can see what you have done to your car and what your made of?

engine out in the next few days - hopefully time permitting and ramp availability.

I even gave the car a wash before the work starts....fairly easy - water, soap, sponge and chamois leather.

Going to have all the body compound polished once everything is done and before the stripes are fitted.
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Hi, found an imperfection on the newly painted bonnet, that i am not happy with - going to have it repainted before the stripes - but hopefully very soon!

 

Fitted the rear screen trim, prior to doing this i re-sealed the rear window to ensure it is water tight. The trim was refinished by SNM along with the other plastic items.

Refitted the smaller part of the rear grill, with the new Berlinetta badge.
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when i was refitting this trim, i remembered how much of a pain in the ass and back it was to remove! It really is a very uncomfortable process and of course all the nuts and threads are upside down and unsighted - yep not the most pleasurable of jobs, but a satisfying result.

cheers Mark

 

Hi, yes really pleased with the interior finish, it feels new and even smells new!

Small Shield, as i mention above:
The centre console had a small hole drilled in it, probably for some yuppies phone back in the day! I had a small shield, which i painted plastic coat black, attached to the leather of the console, then drilled a small hole to attach the Cavillino Rampart, looks good for the time being, i will recover that section of the console at some point in the future.

 

Hi, sorry i have been busy with other things for a while (family and business), finally got some spare time to get the 355 project rolling again!

As mention before the window runner bracket had cracked, so i removed the door scoop pod (very simple task, just a few nuts and hex screws), this gave me great access to the broken runner. A few zaps with a MIG welder and it was as good as new - no more door rattles!

When in the door, i cleaned and greased all the window runners and the regulator cables. The window did go up and down smother and quicker. It was such a quick and easy job, i done the passenger side at the same time.

Once again i was so impressed with the originality of the car and to great condition of the unseen areas!

As mentioned before i am colour coding the Speedline wheels with the Scuderia stripe - while the door pod was off the car, i fitted the new colour coded pin-stripe. I replaced it directly on the original black pin-stripe, perfect fit and you cant tell - but easy to remove and return to original if i want to in the future.

cheers Mark
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And finally the internal door trim refitted to the car, it finally feels complete on the inside!
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Gone a bit made on the radio!
I had Sextons fit the new Clarion system (as recommended by Ferrari): radio, Sat-nav, TV, bluetooth phone and reversing camera‏ - all in one:
Ferrari Genuine introduces you the new dimension of infotainment

Fitted new Component speakers to the doors, upgraded tweeters behind the vents and a JL Audio Amplifier under the front bonnet, its all hidden wired for a base speaker if i decide to fit in the future.

All the Sat-nav and TV antenna's have been hidden under the dash, so no nasty wires or aerials stuck to windows, as i have seen in previous installation - reception and signal are strong and sharp.

Reversing camera fitted to rear, engages when reverse is selected and the screen automatically pops up. All the parts and wires are installed in heat shield - very very professional.

Sextons Sextons London | Car Audio, Vision & Security Specialists | Home made a fantastic job, fitted all the best components and the result is truly amazing! They supplied the Clarion unit at a fraction of the price asked by Ferrari, you can buy the white Ferrari script from ebay for pennies if you so wish. You can upload Ferrari logos (or anything you want) as a screen saver just like the part Ferrari charges thousand for!!

Thank you to Jay at Sextons - Top Job!!!!

cheers
Mark
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now the stereo and new tweeters are installed I refitted the vents and the airbag unit, i had to reset the airbag light using the SD2 software as the battery had been removed at the same time as the airbag, and it see it as an error code when everything is reconnected.

Off for an MOT today!

cheers
Mark
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Hi folks, sorry for the long absence! i have been busy with work, travel, family, kids, other projects etc etc......

But the 355 has not laid completly idle, I put it in storage for a year, then pulled it out about 8 months ago to complete the work, along with great help from Tom at Keys MotorSport, who done a mjor service and rebuilt the top end of the engine.

Let me update you on the progress, some of it was done a while ago, the engine major and top end rebuild was only completed last month.

Just a few little jobs to do and she will be all done, finally ready to enjoy summer!

 

as previous pictured but now fitted to the car.
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I also finished the interior, thats just cardboard over the carpet to protect everything while i continue working on other areas.
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I had to do it, one of my favourite mod's on the 355 - update the steering wheel to the 360 version.
Super easy job and a great result (i think)......
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In my good friend Dan's trailor
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The top end had to be stripped and some work done on the heads, beautful work and should be good for a very long time. New valves, seats, guides, and all the necessary machine work done.
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While all the work was going on, i thought i would spoil myself to a new exhaust system.

There was nothing wrong with the original manifolds, but a set of Fabspeed headers, ceramic coated in white like the old Ferrari race cars surely look better......
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